Devils Rays trade Hendrickson to L.A.
With an eye toward the future, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays traded pitcher Mark Hendrickson, catcher Toby Hall and $1 million to the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday for pitcher Jae Seo, catcher Dioner Navarro and a player to be named.
“Mark will add some depth to our starting rotation as we head into the second half of the season,” said Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti.
Hendrickson was 4-8 with a 3.81 ERA in 13 starts this season.
The former NBA player from Washington State University held opponents to a .241 batting average.
The 32-year-old lefty led the Devil Rays in wins the last two years.
“He’s continually gotten better and we think he’ll keep getting better and better,” Dodgers manager Grady Little said.
Aneurysm strikes Gammons
ESPN baseball analyst Peter Gammons underwent brain surgery after he was stricken with an aneurysm near his Cape Cod home. The 61-year-old Gammons was resting in intensive care following the operation, the Boston Globe reported on its Web site. Gammons was taken to a Cape Cod hospital and then airlifted to a Boston-area hospital. The newspaper said he’s expected to be in intensive care for 10 to 12 days.
Phillies pitcher takes leave
Brett Myers will take a leave of absence through the All-Star break, saying he has embarrassed his family and the team with his arrest on charges that he hit his wife in the face.
Myers asked the team for time off so he can “concentrate on this matter and make plans for whatever assistance is appropriate.” He was arrested Friday in Boston and accused of striking his wife on a street not far from Fenway Park. He was freed after his wife posted $200 bail, and he faces an Aug. 4 court date on assault charges.
Phillies manager suspended
Charlie Manuel was suspended for one game and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball for aggressively arguing with an umpire in a game last week. Manuel was thrown out for the fourth time this season after allegedly making contact with umpire Bill Miller with the bill of his cap. Manuel said he has not been informed of an amount of the fine.
Bonds hasn’t been contacted
Barry Bonds said he hasn’t heard yet from former Sen. George Mitchell in his independent investigation of steroids in baseball. Mitchell was appointed in March to head the league’s investigation into steroids.
Pirates demote Perez
Oliver Perez, the power-throwing but puzzling left-hander who was Pittsburgh’s opening-day starter, was demoted to the Pirates bullpen after the team’s longest losing streak in more than 50 years. Manager Jim Tracy did not immediately name a replacement for Perez, but left-hander Tom Gorzelanny is expected to be called up from Indianapolis to start Saturday against Detroit.
Dodger dog inventor dies
Thomas Gregory Arthur, the baseball stadium concessionaire whose foot-long Nathan’s knockoff came up short and became the beloved Dodger Dog, has died. He died of a heart attack on June 8 in St. Louis. He was 84.